Too Much Time
by thehopefulone
Summary: Years after dropping out of Yale, Rory starts an internship at the Jeffersonian to try and get away. But she is brought right back to Stars Hollow when a murder is committed at the Dragonfly, forcing her to see the changes in her mothers life. Meanwhile, Booth needs to get Brennan away from work to keep their family together.
1. Coming home

It's been years since she has thought about journalism.

She was too stubborn to go back to Yale, it would give her mother exactly what she wanted. But she knew that she couldn't do nothing forever, so she got into Virginia State University and started working toward the first thing on the list of majors to choose from. Anthropology.

The internship at the Jeffersonian seemed like something impossible, so Rory was surprised when she got the letter that she was in. She would be rotated with seven other interns to work for Dr. Temperance Brennan. It was a success and Rory was delighted.

A week after she received the letter, she was called by the manager of the lab portion of the museum, a woman named Dr. Camille Saroyan. She would be working tomorrow.

For the last three years Rory had been living in DC- far away from her mother. She hadn't really put much thought into the other Lorelai Gilmore, because she knew it would hurt.

Rory stared into her closet, wondering what to wear. She was going to her first anthropology internship. She wondered, briefly, what her mother would think, then put it out of her mind.

* * *

Hair up. Hands washed. Gloves on. Labcoat tied. The basic routine of Temperance Brennan, which hadn't changed throughout the ten years she had been working here. She was also breaking in a new intern today, a girl of twenty-five years.

The girl was on the platform already, her white labcoat tied twice around her skinny waist. She had brown hair and intense blue eyes which were focused on the ancient bones lying on the table.

"Hello." The girl said politely. "My name is Rory Gilmore, I am your new intern."

Brennan recalled everything Booth had been saying to her about kindness and good impressions. "Hello. I'm Dr. Brennan." She said hesitantly, finding the words.

The girl smiled. "I got to work as soon as I got here. I noticed that there was some staining on the inside of the skull, and found microfractures here." Rory ran her finger along the back on the skull. "He was most definitely killed by a large, blunt object striking the back of his head causing internal bleeding. Of course, you already know that. Do I pass your test?"

Brennan smiled at her enthusiasm and knowledge. "Yes, you-"

She was cut off by Booth running wildly into the lab. "Hey Bones! Got a case for us! We are going to small town Connecticut!"

Brennan turned to Rory. "Go wash up and meet us in front in five minutes. We have some real work to do."

Rory bolted and Brennan tossed her gloves in the trash and hung her labcoat on a hook, coming down off the platform to meet both. His arms wrapped around her and he leaned forward for a kiss.

"This will be nice. The place, despite the murder is supposed to be really charming. You need to get out." He says softly.

"Is that why you took this case? To get me out of town so I stop working thirteen hours a day?" She says defensively.

"Yes, actually." He replies, kissing her again. "Angela is taking Christine, for as long as we need her to. It will be good. We can let this new intern get lots of experience and you can take a break."

Brennan knew that wouldn't happen, but she didn't protest. She got her bag from her office and met the intern. She explained that it was out of town, and Rory quickly agreed. She said she would meet them at the airport, since they were all on the same flight to Hartford. Rory was a little nervous about going to Hartford, but she assumed she would be okay. She went to her apartment and got her things an d settled in with a book on the flight.

* * *

Booth had good connections, and they were met with a rental car at the airport. He drove, with Brennan in the passenger seat and Rory in the back. She was quiet, and seemed nervous, so he was surprised when she asked a question.

"Where in Hartford is the crime scene?" She said delicately, as if all her words were made of glass.

"Actually, it's about thirty miles away from Hartford. A place called-" Brennan looked down at the sheet of paper she had been holding. "-Stars-."

"Hollow." Rory finished.

Brennan looked back at her. "You know the place?"

"Yes." Rory said, feeling like every part of her was melting. "I grew up there."

"Hey!" Booth said, laughing. "You probably know the place then. The Dragonfly Inn? It's apparently supposed to be very popular, lots of positive ratings and all."

Rory felt like she couldn't breathe, but she knew the first rule in her internship manual is to be honest about all relations between people and places. She knew lying was never good. And maybe telling them would get her out of having to go there.

"Agent Booth? Dr. Brennan? I have to be very honest with you. "

"Okay." Brennan says slowly. "My mother is co-owner of the Dragonfly. I don't know that I am allowed to work on a case there. I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner , but I didn't know where the murder was."

Brennan nodded. "I had no idea."

Booth paused. "We don't have time to get another intern out here. The first twenty-four hours in an investigation are crucial. I'm sure that it's alright that Rory helps. She is clearly an honest person."

Brennan sighed. "Ms. Gilmore, do you mind still helping out with the case?"

Rory felt like her insides were being ripped out. She had to see her mother. "It's fine."

"Alright." Booth says, pulling into the parking lot. "Here we are."

It was like time had stood still here. The flowers in the window boxes looked the same. The paint on the front porch looked the same. The stables looked the same. Nothing had been moved or changed here, this was her mother one-hundred percent.

Brennan and Booth were ahead, so she ran to catch up. They were talking with someone.

"I am Lorelai Gilmore, one of the owners." The woman said to Booth. She was clearly very pregnant. "The body was found by one of our guests on a trail that way." Her voice was soft, she was obviously shaken up.

"What was the guest doing?" He asked.

"Riding a horse…Cleatus, that's his name….it's one of the activities we offer at the inn."

"Alright. Why don't you go get a cup of coffee and rest. We will come back for more questions later." Booth suggested.

She turned and saw her, standing by an older woman, both in plastic suits. They caught each other's eye, and turned away. Lorelai went inside and Rory followed the woman in a daze.

Her mother was pregnant. She didn't tell her. She was probably also married. She wasn't invited.

How could this have happened? Rory started to wonder why she had been holding this grudge inside he r for so long, but she pushed it out of her mind because she had work to do.


	2. Old friends and New Feelings

**A/N- This is my first crossover, and I think it's turning out okay :) Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Rory did her job, as she knew she should.

But the thought of her mother- this new life she was leading without Rory in it- was so much to process. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Her mother was _pregnant._

* * *

"Should we do something?" Brennan asked that night. They were staying in a hotel in Woodbridge while working on the case. "She seems so shaken up."

"Well," Booth said, his face covered in shaving cream. "She grew up here. Her mother owns the inn. That must bring up some hard emotions for here." Having Bren in a hotel room, trying to get here away from work was bringing up a lot of emotions for Booth. Things he was too 'manly' to truly express.

'They act like they don't even know each other." Brennan declares matter-of-factly, picking a loose thread on the comforter.

"They clearly had a falling out." Booth says from the bathroom, the door wide open so she could watch him shave. "We are going to bring them back together."

"We are?" She asks, shocked.

"We are." He confirms his voice confident. "Sweets is coming on the first plane tomorrow.

She smiles. "That would be nice, Booth. I can remember how it felt to forgive my father after all those years. I would love to give that to Rory Gilmore."

She comes into the bathroom and kisses his forehead to avoid getting shaving cream on her face and he laughs, patting some onto her cheek anyway.

Maybe, just maybe, they would be okay.

* * *

Rory agreed to meet the shrink at a restaurant that morning for breakfast. He had given her an address to meet him at last night when they were on the phone. She walked down the street, ignoring the people who were lined up to see her. Everyone was staring. The classic Gilmore daughter was back.

"Does she know about Lorelai being knocked up?" Babette hissed to Patty as she walked by. Rory managed to keep a blank expression, squeezing the slip of paper with the address in her hand.

She stopped when she reached the diner: the number matched. This was it. She couldn't move for a second, and she could feel Gypsy's eyes right on her back. Everyone watched, so she had no choice to pull open the door and walk in. To Rory's relief, Luke wasn't there.

The shrink stood and stuck out his hand for her to shake. "Hello, I'm Dr. Lance Sweets."

She took it cautiously, her hand shaking a little as she did so.

He gestured for her to sit and she did. He opened the menu and perused it quickly.

"Rory!"A familiar voice called. An ever-unchanged Layne ran up and hugged her. "I haven't seen you in forever! Rory smiled rather shyly, feeling a little guilty. She had given Layne her address via email and received letters, a wedding invitation, Christmas cards, birthday cards. But she had never sent anything back. She had only sent a few brief emails, trying to compensate for not writing.

"Are you still working here?" She asked, still being hugged.

Layne laughs "No! No. We are scraping by on our music, and Zack is managing a local sub shop."

"Oh, neat." Rory replies, not knowing what to say. It was a little awkward being here, but she knew she had to get it out of the way. She did miss everything from the past and now it was all coming back to her.

"Come! Come! Meet the kids!" Layne begs and Rory glances over to a nearby table where a man sat with two toddlers. They had Asian eyes and blonde hair, and a unique but cute way. She realized that the man with the boys was Zack. She was looking at Layne's family.

"Oh, no I couldn't." Rory said as politely as she could. "I have a meeting here with Dr. Sweets here."

The psychologist shook her hand and Layne made her promise to stop by later.

Finally Rory sat down and they ordered breakfast. She had pretended to look at the menu, even though she knew it by heart.

Sweets asked her about her mother. Rory swallowed hard and started from when her mother was sixteen.

* * *

The victim was a young girl, around seventeen years old. Brennan was desperate to find out more, but Booth told her to relax. He seemed rather tense lately and kept telling her that she worked too much and that she had been ignoring him.

She wasn't sure what to do.

He went to interview the Inn staff and told her by leaving a note for her while she was in the shower. She was so shocked that he didn't just tell her, but finally decided that she would go down there and poke around herself.

She got there and went to the front desk. A cranky French man asked her what she wanted. She explained who she was and he made a face when she said she was working on the case.

"What you are looking for is in the kitchen, drinking her coffee and annoying me." He said in a slow accent.

She walked away, wondering why such a charming Inn would have such a strange man working in it.

Brennan pushed the door to the kitchen open slowly, so she wouldn't startle anyone. As described, Lorelai Gilmore was sitting at the counter with a cup of coffee, talking to a large woman in pigtails, who was icing sugar cookies in the shape of maple leaves.

"Hello." Brennan called softly, and the women turned.

"Hey! Come on in!" Lorelai called, and turned to the other woman. "Sookie, this is Temperance Brennan she is working with Rory on the case. Temperance, this is Sookie St. James, the chef here at the Inn."

"Hello!" Sookie cried happily. The girls began to chat nicely, and they let Brennan examine the knives (which were definitely not the murder weapon). Brennan felt very at home with the girls, like she had known them for years.

* * *

It was five O'clock. Rory stood looking at the house. Two familiar cars were parked in the driveway. One was Luke's pickup. The other was her Mom's Jeep.

Sweets told her that she should try and talk to her mom. See if they can make some progress after the three years apart.

Rory took a deep breath and walked up the front steps.

She knocked.


	3. Two sides, two stories

The door opens, and a familiar face peeks out at Rory.

"Hello" April says simply. Rory always knew she was rational, much like Brennan in that sense.

"Hi." Rory says, hesitating a little before continuing. "I'm R..."

"Rory." April interrupts. "I know who you are. We met before. And Lorie has your picture up in a few places."

"Right" Rory says, twisting her hands nervously. "Is my mom...uh, Lorie, here?"

"Yeah. They sent her home after the murder happened. I'll go get her."

April leaves Rory stranded on the porch, which was familiar and strange all rolled into one feeling.

Lorelai appears at the door, looking surprised. But Rory feels more surprised as she sees her bulging stomach. She looked as if she was ready to pop at any second.

"Mom." Rory whispers. She doesn't know what else to say. They were so close once, and now she's standing on her own porch and she doesn't even know who her own mother is.

"Honey." Lorelai responds, her voice softer than Rory remembered. "I just made some coffee. Why don't you come in and have some?"

Rory walks though her house, and nothing is like she remembered. The house had been renovated. The living room was painted green, and there was a cerulean couch in the middle of it. A cartoon was playing in the living, and there were five children were staring at it. One of them was April. The rest were unrecognizable to the wide-eyed forgotten daughter.

Lorelai serves Rory's coffee exactly the way she always liked it, which makes her smile a little. She feels less like a castaway and more like someone who belongs, at least a little bit.

"Those kids..." Rory begins as her very pregnant mother settles into the chair across her. She is relieved that the kitchen is the same, but her bedroom door is closed, making it impossible to get a glance.

"Three of the kids out there are Sookie and Jackson's." Lorelai informs her easily. "You know April, and the little boy on the end..." Rory cranes her neck to see "...is your brother. His name is Eddie. Well, Edison. But, he's five so Eddie is more appropriate."

Rory nods. "He looks like Luke. And you. That... was really obvious but, you get it."

"I do." She nods sweetly.

"How about the baby you are carrying? Do you know...?"

"It's a girl." Lorelai says, smiling. "But we haven't nailed down a concrete name yet. We were thinking Frances, though. Franny for short."

"I like that a lot!" Rory says genuinely.

Lorelai laughs appreciatively. Then her face becomes serious. "I was never trying to replace you. I was just... So lonely. I've had you around since I was 16. When you were gone...I couldn't take it. I married Luke. I had Eddie. I didn't feel as lonely. But as many times as I tried to bond with April, well, she just wasn't you."

Rory sips her coffee, trying to mask the tears in her eyes.

"I missed you, too. I couldn't live with Grandma and Grandpa, I couldn't go back to school there. So I started working towards my anthropology degree at another college. I... didn't know what else to do."

"We've said it now." Lorelai states. "We can put it behind us."

Rory smiles, the tears of happiness pouring down her face. "I would like that."

Booth slides the key into the lock, watching as the little light turns green and the door clicks open. They were staying in a cookie-cutter place in Hartford. Inside is a plain hotel room. Single bed, a dresser, a TV.

Brennan walks in behind him, shrugging. "It's okay, I suppose. We really should have stayed at the Dragonfly, though. I could be close to the evidence."

Booth shakes his head, tossing his bag onto the bed. "We are not staying where someone got murdered."

She sighs, knowing how overprotective he is. "The owners were really nice." She is trying to be reasonable.

"That doesn't mean they aren't suspects." He replies coldly.

She pauses for a moment, then begins, feeling the tension in the room. "We aren't working well together."

He takes a deep breath. "I know."

"And we have a daughter to think of."

He says again, "I know."

They both stand there for what feels like an eternity, then finally her feet shuffle and she goes into the bathroom, the lock clicking behind her.


End file.
